Leading the charge for the Grizzlies will be star guard Ja Morant, who averaged 23.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 4.1 rebounds this season while shooting 45.4% from the field. Morant and the Grizzlies defeated the Warriors in the Play-in tournament in 2021, but will be going against a different team led by a big three of Steph Curry, Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler.
Despite off-court controversies—including a recent $75,000 fine from the NBA for inappropriate on-court gestures—Morant remains one of the league’s most electrifying and marketable talents.
That popularity was underscored once again this week, the NBA announced Morant was among the league’s top-10 best-selling jerseys. He joins elite company on the list, which is led by Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic, with Stephen Curry and LeBron James rounding out the top three.
Other notable names include Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (11th) and Phoenix Suns veteran Kevin Durant (13th), reflecting the ongoing dominance of the league’s biggest stars.
Now, Morant will look to back up his popularity with postseason success, as the Grizzlies aim to punch their ticket to the NBA Playoffs with a win over a Warriors squad desperate to win a championship this season.
Ja Morant Explains New “Grenade” Celebration And How Long He Will Be Using It
The two-time All-Star has a controversial, punitive history related to weapons.
Ja Morant is known for being one of the NBA’s brightest young stars and for the athlete with the controversial relationship to weapons. Regardless, the 25-year-old hooper recently debuted a new “grenade” celebration and broke down what it means, in addition to how long he plans to use it.
Last Tuesday (April 8), the Memphis Grizzlies took on the Charlotte Hornets, and the two-time All-Star made a three-pointer. Afterwards, he mimicked pulling a pin out of a grenade with his teeth, tossing it into the crowd, and then covering his ears. He brought the celebration back on Thursday (April 10) after making a three-pointer against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Naturally, social media went into an uproar as he had just paid a $75,000 fine for a gesture mimicking him shooting a gun.
“It’s not what you think it is,” Morant said of the “grenade” celebration. “I’m gonna take my words, I’m gonna throw them out there, and I’mma block out the noise.” Though the explanation is fitting for the gesture, it is possible the league may not think the same way. The Grizzlies guard is prepared for that possibility, telling ESPN, “That’s my celebration now until somebody else has a problem with it, and I’ll find another one.”
To many, Ja Morant is playing with fire, given his multiple punishments for brandishing weapons on social media. In the 2022-2023 NBA season, he was suspended for multiple games after being seen on Instagram wielding a gun while in the club.
That following summer, he was spotted on Instagram Live holding a gun while driving in the car with a friend and had to serve a 25-game suspension at the start of the 2023-2024 season. Upon returning from suspension, he played for a few weeks before suffering an injury that required a season-ending shoulder surgery.
Now he is back, healthy, and has led the Grizzlies to a play-in berth. They will take on the Golden State Warriors for a chance to lock in the seventh seed and face the Houston Rockets in the first round of the NBA playoffs. If they lose, they take on the winner of the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks matchup, all to determine who will secure the eighth seed and face the Oklahoma City Thunder.